


Duplicitous

by iteration



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Consensual Violence, M/M, Notfic, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, alternate characterization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 19:16:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1994700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iteration/pseuds/iteration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John finds out everything about Harold almost right from the start. But he doesn't tell him.</p><p>They start sleeping together pretty regularly, usually after cases, but sometimes, too, when John gets bored. On a slow day, he'll gets down on his knees, and take Harold all the way down. He'll touch himself while he's doing it, listen to the involuntary - no, <em>compromising</em> - sounds Harold makes, and close his eyes and feel sort of at peace.</p><p>The breakup is <em>really ugly</em>.</p><p>(Have no fear, there is a happy/porny ending.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Duplicitous

**Author's Note:**

> Cleaning out the plot bunny file… Here is a not!fic-turned-PWP

So I had this idea for a Person of Interest AU. A much darker universe, in which the events in season 1 are pretty much intact, but where Harold is more naïve and inexperienced, and John's competence is more powerfully established.

The key thing is, John finds out everything about Harold almost right from the start. Everything. _But he doesn't tell him_. I was thinking of a John who is extremely disconnected, more dangerous, less of a well-fed domesticated killer tabby, more of an assassin who has decided to play along with Harold's little vigilante game because he has nothing else to do.

John starts sleeping with Harold because he's pretty much always been sexually involved with his handlers, and also there's just something about Harold's sardonic little eyebrow movements. They make John want to see Harold lose control.

Harold starts sleeping with John because he is utterly unprepared for the adrenaline rushes from the work they do, and for the way John seduces him without any kind of preamble. He just kisses Harold's mouth and starts pulling at his clothes, and Harold stutters "no... no no no no" but John just sucks two of Harold's fingers into his mouth and that's it, that's all, Harold gives in.

They start sleeping together pretty regularly, usually after cases, but also sometimes when John gets bored. On a slow day, he'll gets down on his knees, and take Harold all the way down. He'll touch himself while he's doing it, listen to the involuntary - no, _compromising_ \- sounds Harold makes, and close his eyes and feel sort of at peace.

But my plot bonny involving this AU actually starts in the future. I was thinking that at some point, Harold would find out that John has been duplicitous. Possibly Alicia Corwin tells him - tells him that John has known far more about Harold than he was letting Harold believe, and that he has been letting Harold think that he cared about their mission, when in fact, John is indifferent. To me, this is a tragic misunderstanding, because _of course_ John is disconnected from his feelings, his moral compass, from any kind of attachment towards the people he protects. He's a trained assassin: that's what trained assassins are like (again - this is an AU. I don't think Caviezel was playing him this way at all). But the point it, Harold feels like a fool when he finds out that John is indifferent towards their cause, because they have been sleeping together and it's all mixed up with Harold's own conflicted feelings for John, and for the hold John has on Harold's libido.

And what I'm thinking is: the breakup is _really ugly_. Like - Harold fires John, and he somehow does it in the worst possible way: he pretends to be completely indifferent to John. He just hands John an envelope one morning. He says "this is your severance," and there's money and a new passport in it, and that's it. John is confused, he doesn't know what he did wrong, he thinks that he's been incompetent somehow, but Harold refuses to answer any questions. And in this universe, John might know Harold's last name and where he lives and who his parents were, but that's no help to him when Harold fires him, because he can't read Harold's mind.

Then John goes off to work as a security consultant in, like, the Seychelles or something, and they're both sad and angry and everything sucks and it's all wrong. And no matter how much time goes by, Harold is on John's mind. He has time to think about it, and he realizes that Harold was probably in love with him. It's the only thing that makes sense.

Then one day, years later, John is in New York City. He finds Harold's latest phone number and texts him. And when Harold doesn't answer, he just goes to see him. Harold doesn't ignore him, exactly. He just acts like an acquaintance. He says "Hello," and then nods politely, and leaves.

So John goes to the park when Harold is there. He sits next to him on the bench. Harold looks at John blandly, asks him what brings him to New York. They chat. It's very civilized. It's excruciating. John can tell that Harold is expecting him to say more, now, to ask him to talk, to ask him to take him somewhere. But John doesn't, because he wants Harold to be the one to say something.

The next day, John goes to the library.

*

You think about the way he's always looked at you, about his body oriented towards yours, about his shoulder bumping up against yours, and you feel a pang. You don't know anyone who makes you want to lean in like this. Just him.

You provoke him just by looking at him. By looking at him and wanting him. By looking, wanting, but not doing more than that. Not giving him the opportunity to say no.

Today is the day he loses it, and he's shaking you. Physically shaking you. And it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened, the contact, the reaction, everything. You close your eyes. He starts shouting

"Why won't you leave me alone?" He shouts while he's shaking you. "Why can't you - _why_?"

Nothing has been said before, but he's shouting like everything has been said. Like you've had this discussion, and he's angry at you for not respecting it.

The release of it is so great that it would be impossible to put it into words. You couldn't tell him even if you tried. You couldn't explain how relieved you are that it's finally over, that you're finally going to know just how crazy you make him. Just how undignified he can be because of you. You didn't even know you wanted him this badly. You're so hard right now.

You open your eyes. "Please," you say. "Please."

"Stop," he says, his thumbs digging into your shoulders. "Stop looking at me like that."

You're so close to him that you can see faint freckles on the bridge of his nose. You say, "No."

His eyes widen, and he pushes you away. He points towards the sofa. Something is happening. _Something is happening_.

He says, "Sit on your hands."

You sit on your hands. You don't break eye contact. You look at his mouth, his cheekbones, his unassuming glasses. You've wanted him so badly, and for so long, that everything about him is arousing. The way he moves. The way he blinks. The colour of his tie.

He comes towards you. "I'm so angry at you," he says, and after that he doesn't say anything.

He slaps you, over and over. Not so forceful at first, but then harder. His expression never changes. The slaps sting, each one of them making a loud sound that rings out in the dusty library. Every blow feels like an accusation. _How could you do this to me, John._

When he stops, you look straight in front of you, and see his erection straining against his trousers. You lean towards it, but he grabs your hair, pulls you up towards him, and kisses you. You think you're going to cry. You reach out blindly with both arms, you cling to him. _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

His grip tightens, and your eyes water from the pain. When you whimper, he reaches down, and grabs hold of you through your clothes. You come with a jolt, tiny pinpricks of light behind your eyelids, knees buckling. _I love you._

When you come to, you see he's climaxed. You don't know where to look. Harold says, "Perhaps we should talk, John."


End file.
